French MP suspended, pay cut after 'Return to Africa' slur in Parliament

The French Parliament has voted to cut the pay of a lawmaker accused of racist remarks during a debate on Thursday. The ban imposed on Friday, November 4, also includes a temporal ban on the far-right MP. It came 24-hours after Gregoire de Fournas shouted "Go back to Africa!" as a Black legislator was speaking during a parliamentary session. Fournas belongs to the opposition National Rally (RN) party, and was made while left-wing MP Carlos Martens Bilongo - who is of Congolese descent - was asking a question on immigration. There was uproar in the House and on social media after the racist slur bringing the day's session to a halt. Speaking outside Parliament after the incident, Bilongo expressed grave reservations at the comment and described it as a "shame," and something he never in his life thought would be raised in Parliament. Bilongo is a Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee who was born on December 31, 1990 in Paris, he is the MP for Val-d'Oise (8th district). The lawmaker is a 31-year-old from a Congolese background. The offending MP, Gregoire de Fournas, and his party insist that he was asking a migrant boat unable to enter France "to return to Africa," and that the term was not directed at Bilongo. He has, however, apologized to Bilongo. His party leader Marine Le Pen, has however rejected the sanctions saying it violates his right to 'freedom of speech.'

The French Parliament has voted to cut the pay of a lawmaker accused of racist remarks during a debate on Thursday. The ban imposed on Friday, November 4, also includes a temporal ban on the far-right MP. It came 24-hours after Gregoire de Fournas shouted "Go back to Africa!" as a Black legislator was speaking during a parliamentary session. Fournas belongs to the opposition National Rally (RN) party, and was made while left-wing MP Carlos Martens Bilongo - who is of Congolese descent - was asking a question on immigration. There was uproar in the House and on social media after the racist slur bringing the day's session to a halt. Speaking outside Parliament after the incident, Bilongo expressed grave reservations at the comment and described it as a "shame," and something he never in his life thought would be raised in Parliament. Bilongo is a Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee who was born on December 31, 1990 in Paris, he is the MP for Val-d'Oise (8th district). The lawmaker is a 31-year-old from a Congolese background. The offending MP, Gregoire de Fournas, and his party insist that he was asking a migrant boat unable to enter France "to return to Africa," and that the term was not directed at Bilongo. He has, however, apologized to Bilongo. His party leader Marine Le Pen, has however rejected the sanctions saying it violates his right to 'freedom of speech.' Sickening and worrying. A French far-right MP yelled at NUPES MP Carlos Martens Bilongo to "return to Africa". The Assembly was shocked. The session was suspended. pic.twitter.com/xh9DnlcyLF— Rim-Sarah Alouane (@RimSarah) November 3, 2022